If ever a game was going to knock the swag out of Alex Cora, it was Game 3 of the 2018 World Series. You know, the 7-plus-hour, 18-inning affair that saw the Boston Red Sox lose in devastating, walk-off fashion to the Los Angeles Dodgers?
Alas, Cora showed up to Dodger Stadium on Saturday as care-free as he’s been all season.
The biggest question leading up to Game 4 was who would start for the Red Sox in place of Nathan Eovaldi, who turned in a virtuoso relief performance Friday night. Cora offered no answers after Game 3, and fans and media alike still were in the dark roughly four hours before first pitch Saturday night.
That is until Cora walked by MLB Network’s Chris Russo during the “High Heat” broadcast.
Check out this exchange:
🗣️🗣️🗣️ #HighHeat asked and Alex Cora answered: Eduardo Rodríguez is the @RedSox Game Four starter! #WorldSeries @MadDogUnleashed pic.twitter.com/UGlXxFqQh8
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 27, 2018
Well, there you have it: Eduardo Rodriguez is your Game 4 starter.
The left-hander had a strong regular season — 13-5, 3.82 ERA in — but has been relegated to a largely meaningless role during the playoffs. In six relief appearances this postseason, Rodriguez has a 6.23 ERA with one hold in 4 1/3 innings. That’s not the ideal buildup to the biggest start of his career, but the 25-year-old still is more than capable of limiting a Dodgers lineup that’s at its worst against lefties.
Rodriguez will look to lead the Red Sox to a commanding 3-1 lead in the Fall Classic. First pitch at Dodger Stadium is scheduled for 8:09 p.m. ET.
